with the new open pros, if I'm not mistaken the braking surface is machined after anodising, so it appears silver, not grey or black. In the long run, they look better than the older style, as they don't gradually lose the anodising with braking. But the old style with no machining do look very very nice when new

The black and the silver have machined braking surfaces, but the CD is greymfrom bead to bead. The CD surface was meant to improve braking but yes, as you say, the coating does eventually wear, bat that all adds to the patina.

After all, we are all intersted in retrobikes beacuse of how they look, not their overall mechanical effectiveness.

I wasn't thinking of the colour re Open Pro vs MA40 but rather their shape. The Open Pro has the modern semi deep profile with 2 extra angled surfaces, where as the MA40 has the classic shallow box section. The difference is easy to see and it's very noticeable, at least to me.

Last edited by fiks on Sun Jan 27, 2013 11:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Although it's common terminology, I consider 'track hub' to be a misnomer. Really they are single-speed hubs.. or they are if you can find a 'flip-flop' with a no-compromise freewheel thread on one side. Hubs with flanges properly equidistant from the centre. I think it's a shame that that is no longer the 'default' design, although obviously it's many moons too late to be griping about it. If you never need to go fast enough (or slow enough) to change gear then you can build a dishless, and hence much stronger wheel... and without a chain-line that is at least 10% f--ked up 100% of the time..That's the attraction.

Anyone know if the current Dura-Ace track hubs are cup-and-cone? If they are they must be about the only ones left...

As always, and insightful and interesting answer - thanks. I am currently reading the book called The Dancing Chain - when you say 'too late to be griping about it' do you mean about 100 years too late, perhaps a little longer!

To follow on - I understand that the word Piste means track (i may be wrong), therefore a hub called XXXXX Piste is a track hub? Or is this just a fancy way of saying a nice hub?

As always, and insightful and interesting answer - thanks. I am currently reading the book called The Dancing Chain - when you say 'too late to be griping about it' do you mean about 100 years too late, perhaps a little longer!

To follow on - I understand that the word Piste means track (i may be wrong), therefore a hub called XXXXX Piste is a track hub? Or is this just a fancy way of saying a nice hub?

A bona fide track hub will be designed chiefly for velodrome use and therefore possibly lack the same weatherproof sealing that a single-speed cousin intended for the road too might have. Am I right in thinking that until fairly recently, Campag refused to honour the warranty on its track hubs if they'd been used for ordinary road riding? They allegedly applied similar embargos if you used their road groups for competitive 'cross, although Campag now offer a few CX-specific parts so it's not a real issue any more.

David

_________________"Not so much a religion as a savings club for people who think Star Trek's a documentary"- Marcus Brigstocke on Scientology

TGR For some of us the rickety edifice of our 'personality' is built entirely out of things it is anywhere between ten seconds and ten thousand years too late to be complaining about! I will resist careening unfathomably off topic and boring us all with the 'torqueless grumbling timeline'.. I cannot fault your analysis. In response to your question, I would say that yes... if it says 'pista' it is a track hub...or at least marketed as such. To me that is a fancy way of saying: 'single-speed hub with optimally placed flanges equidistant from the centre', which is at least a good start towards a nice hub.

David B, If Campag had such a policy, surely it dates from a fairly recent time in which 'road' hubs were equipped with something more than a dustcap to keep the elements out? AFAIK a '70s cup'n'cone 'road' hub was no more sophisticated than its 'track' variant in this regard?
You mention a 'single-speed cousin intended for the road too', but where is this hub? I'm not saying it doesn't exist.. If it does I would like to know about it. This possibly reinforces my point that single-speed hubs are called 'track' or 'pista' by convention only, and if I ask for a single-speed hub with equidistant flanges, someone will say: 'Oh, you mean a track hub?', and charge me a premium for it into the bargain.. as if riding on the road without desiring to change gear made you into some sort of subversive nutter...

If you want a track hub for road use with good seals then get a mtb disc brake front hub and bolt a fixie sprocket in place from VeloSolo in place of the disc rotor then fit a longer axle and some spacers

David B, If Campag had such a policy, surely it dates from a fairly recent time in which 'road' hubs were equipped with something more than a dustcap to keep the elements out? AFAIK a '70s cup'n'cone 'road' hub was no more sophisticated than its 'track' variant in this regard?You mention a 'single-speed cousin intended for the road too', but where is this hub? I'm not saying it doesn't exist.. If it does I would like to know about it. This possibly reinforces my point that single-speed hubs are called 'track' or 'pista' by convention only, and if I ask for a single-speed hub with equidistant flanges, someone will say: 'Oh, you mean a track hub?', and charge me a premium for it into the bargain.. as if riding on the road without desiring to change gear made you into some sort of subversive nutter...

I think it is a recent thing, Record Pista hubs being turned out with the bare minimum of sealing to keep the weight down not so long back. There are hubs out there which are more "outdoors-orientated" (if that makes sense) such as DMR or Atomlab - not least as they're aimed at SS MTBs as much as road machines - and accordingly have sealing in line with stuff made for geared bikes.

David

_________________"Not so much a religion as a savings club for people who think Star Trek's a documentary"- Marcus Brigstocke on Scientology

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